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Golden Thief
Telling this tale is a bit of a Redtail tradition; some are better tellers than others, and some like to overblow it, but most Redtails hold it in high regard and love to share it with anyone who will listen. As the tale goes, during the age just before Heaven's Contention, early society on Gold suffered a plague of thefts. Not just normal breaking and entering; the mysterious nature of this crime spree came from how, no matter how securely locked the gate, no matter how complex the safe combination, the thief managed to get in and out with the goods, all without drawing attention. The most anyone saw of them was a glimpse of a bright golden tail disappearing behind a corner and into the night. However, a certain strange golden-haired man got one of his strange ideas, and late at night one evening, the thief's luck ran out. As on many other nights, they somehow managed to slip into a storehouse and effortlessly open a large standing safe, expecting to find many shiny things. And they did, but to their surprise, they also found the golden-haired man, who recklessly tackled the thief, shouting out and drawing the attention of the townspeople. And to the surprise of the golden-haired man and the townspeople, the thief's nature was revealed; a strange woman with fox ears and a large, golden, bushy tail. Thinking her to be a Kaelensia, some were frightened, thinking they should hand her over to the army. Some thought she was an evil spirit and should be killed. However, the golden-haired man raised a protest, saying that if they're too harsh with her, they will never find out what happened to their valuables. The desire to reclaim their property claimed their minds, and they agreed, demanding to know where the thief had stashed her ill-gotten goods. However, the female thief, ever pushing her luck, said that she would tell them... on one condition. If the golden-haired man could best her in a dice game, she would return everything she had taken. But if she won, she would get to go free without doing so. And the strange golden-haired man, with his strange ideas, immediately accepted before anyone could argue. Of course, they had reservations, knowing they had the upper hand, but between the mysterious nature of the crimes and thief, they came to a consensus, saying that since it was the man's idea that caught her, he should be allowed to do what he wants. The match itself was a traditional Gold game called Chinchirorin, which is still played to this day; players roll 3 dice into a bowl, trying to make a hand, and the one with the strongest hand wins. The foxtailed thief went first, and to the amazement of everyone there, rolled triple 6s; the strongest and one of the rarest hands in the game. It was then that all those gathered realized that this woman wasn't breaking in with some kind of skill; it was pure luck. She had just guessed where the keys were hidden, and what the safe combinations had been! Although unnerved after realizing that his opponent had god-like luck, the man didn't admit defeat, taking his turn with the dice and throwing them into bowl with all might. And, to the amazement of everyone (including the thief), he too rolled triple 6s. The match had ended in a tie. Normally, this would result in a push, but not wanting to go through that again, the golden-haired man spoke up. Saying that it was a tie, both parties had won, and they had also lost, meaning all conditions had to be fulfilled; she would return the goods, and she could go free. The thief agreed, amused endlessly by it all. She also gave her word that she would not steal from the people of Gold anymore, and became a good friend of the people, who gave her offerings, hoping her luck would rub off on them. However, she broke her promise; she had stolen the heart of the golden-haired man, as he had put it. The two were eventually married, and soon afterwards, disappeared into the night, just as she had done. Many Redtails quote this as the origin of their race, saying they are all descendants of that thief, calling her the Great Fox Spirit. Category:Lore